


Court Days

by beautywithin16



Category: Taggart (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Secret Relationship, a bit of emotional hurt/comfort, and kind of fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautywithin16/pseuds/beautywithin16
Summary: Devil's Advocate AU: It's been a bad day at court, but thankfully, the day's not a total loss.
Relationships: Michael Jardine/Jackie Reid, Mike Jardine/Jackie Reid
Kudos: 1





	Court Days

**Author's Note:**

> A random AU idea I got from a recent rewatch of “Devil’s Advocate. This is set on the day that Michael gives his evidence in court.

It was not one of Jackie’s better days in court. They had been warned about how difficult Robert Stirling could be and now that Jackie had seen him in action, she could certainly agree with that.

But what bothered her was being asked about Michael’s whereabouts every five minutes. How was she supposed to know his every movement? But she had to concede, he should have arrived a while ago.

Eventually, she had to phone the station, but it hadn’t mattered. During her phone call, she spotted Michael walking up the stairs, whistling. Seemingly without a care in the world.

If waiting for him hadn’t irritated her slightly, she might have been pleased to see him. His confident demeanour did nothing to help her mood and she had wanted to wipe the smirk off Michael’s face.

Preferably by kissing him, but there would be no opportunities for that until much later.

It didn’t take long for her annoyance to subside. Unfortunately, their day at court didn’t get any better. When Michael took the stand, things turned disastrous. It had started off well, the questions had been routine. Until Stirling took over and while Jackie knew from the offset he would make things hard for Michael, she did not realise just how difficult it would be.

Things went to a head when Stirling asked Michael about his personal life and Jackie found that today could become a contender for one of her worst court days.

“Of course, you’re not married yourself, are you?” asked Stirling.

Michael blinked, “What’s that got to do with it?” not appreciating the line of questioning.

“Just answer the question please!” Stirling raised his voice. “Are you married?” he asked.

“No,” Michael replied.

“Have you ever been married?” Stirling asked.

“No,” Michael answered, slightly louder than his previous reply.

“Do you have a current girlfriend?” Stirling asked.

“Yes,” Michael replied with forced calmness. “But I don’t see the relevance-“

“Well, I assume you wouldn’t approve of your girlfriend going with someone behind your back,” Stirling stated.

“My girlfriend would never do that!” Michael stated confidently.

Jackie watched with trepidation, almost wishing she was somewhere else. It was her love for Michael and her professionalism that kept her seated.

_Don’t fall for the bait, Michael. He’s deliberately trying to get a rise out of you_ , Jackie silently pleaded. She hated that Stirling looked probable to succeed.

Unlike earlier, she noticed that Michael didn’t look her way, lest their secret be found out. Which was a shame as maybe he’d have been able to read her face, helping him to cool it.

“Good, a trusting relationship is so important,” Stirling said.

God, she hoped the look on her face did not match the discomfit on Michael’s. Please let this be over soon.

Stirling continued, “But with the hours you work, I imagine it would be easy for your girlfriend if she did want to cheat-“

“Now listen you!” Michael shouted, his face full of anger. The look on his face changed to regret as he realised what he’d done.

_Oh, Michael._

Jackie managed to pretend that Michael’s performance did not affect her beyond a professional capacity. Thankfully, the questions ended after that.

Still, it could be worse, Jackie supposed. Their relationship could have become public knowledge and while Jackie liked the idea of people finding out, she did not want it to happen in a courtroom.

Michael sat with the team a couple of moments later, but it wasn’t until McVitie briefly left the room that Jackie was able to check on Michael.

“You okay?” she whispered.

Michael turned to face her, silently answering her question. _No, I’m not okay. But we can talk about it later._ A brief rueful smile crossed his face before Jackie squeezed his shoulder, ending the moment between them.

It would be much later before they would have the chance to be alone. After the case had wrapped up for the day, everyone involved had gone to the bar, with Stuart joining them a little later.

Somehow, she briefly found herself alone with Tessa Innes. They had made some polite small talk, but Jackie was more focused on her drink and was unprepared for Tessa’s next comment.

“It’s a shame he’s seeing someone,” said Tessa.

Jackie gulped some of her drink, “Who?”

“Jardine,” replied Tessa. “How’s that going?”

“I don’t like to discuss my boss’ love life,” Jackie smiled tightly.

“I thought the two of you were friends,” Tessa said.

“We are, but that doesn’t mean I’m inclined to talk about his relationships behind his back,” Jackie said before taking some more of her drink.

“Fair enough,” said Tessa, eyeing Michael up appreciatively, something which slightly unsettled Jackie.

Shortly after, Jackie decided to call it a day and Stuart kindly offered her a lift home, which she gladly accepted.

“If you’re giving Jackie a lift, can you drop me off at the station?” Michael asked, having left his car there.

“Of course, sir,” replied Stuart, only slightly regretful that he’d be spending some of his evening as a free taxi service.

They made their way to Stuart’s car, which Jackie complimented him on. But she couldn’t help but tease him a little over the car’s new scratches, resulting in a smirk from Michael.

“Oh, I almost forgot, can I have a quick word, Jackie?” asked Michael.

“Sure,” Jackie answered.

“On you go, Fraser,” said Michael, not wanting the DC to be privy to their talk.

Stuart smiled politely before he entered the car, pretending not to watch them. From the smiles on their faces, their chat was not about the case. But that wasn’t unusual, he would often find them smiling or laughing with each other.

Michael was about to open the passenger door when Jackie stopped him. Stuart couldn’t hear what she’d said, but Michael had found it funny. With a smirk on Michael’s face, he opened the passenger door for Jackie before he went into the back seat.

Stuart then dropped Michael off at the station before taking Jackie home. The two of them had made some small talk on the way, but she could tell there was something he wanted to ask her.

“Thanks for the lift, Stuart,” she said once he reached her flat.

“It’s no bother,” he smiled. “How bad was it?” he asked seconds later.

Jackie knew what he was referring to, at least he had straight out asked her. While Stuart hadn’t seen Michael’s testimony, he had been able to pick up on the atmosphere at the bar, and of course, none of the comments on today’s events had been good.

Jackie sighed, “It wasn’t great. Stirling’s a bit of a bastard and deliberately provoked Michael.”

“How?” Stuart asked.

“Stirling asked about his relationship status and commented on how easy it would be for his girlfriend to cheat on him.”

“I didn’t know Mike was seeing anyone,” Stuart said, looking mildly surprised.

“Well, Michael’s private. He doesn’t like to talk about his personal life,” she said.

“Except with you,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“I just mean that you’re good friends. If he’s going to talk about that with anyone, it’d probably be you,” he said.

“I suppose,” she shifted slightly, eyes not meeting his. “I should probably get inside, thanks again.”

Stuart smiled, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Stuart. And, eh, sorry about your car,” she smiled before she left the vehicle.

Stuart watched her go inside, a suspicion forming in his mind. Noticing Jackie’s slight uneasiness, he had a feeling that he knew the identity of Jardine’s girlfriend. Stuart grinned, he’d have to pay close attention for any signs that the relationship between them had changed.

He quickly checked the time and considered driving to Edinburgh now that he was off duty. But this court case had put him off, if tomorrow didn’t go well he’d be liable for any consequences from Jardine. The last thing he needed was to come in late or look shattered after a night of clubbing. He could chance it and go to a club in Glasgow he supposed, but he found himself shaking his head. No, he’d just have a quiet night in, he decided as he drove away.

Stuart wasn’t the only one who had decided to have a quiet evening. Having changed into something more comfortable, Jackie was content to spend her evening at home. But unlike Stuart, she wouldn’t be alone. A smile lit up her face as the front door opened and Michael walked in with a takeaway, she went up from the couch to join him.

“That smells nice,” she said before she quickly kissed him. She took the bags off him before he removed his suit jacket. “I’ll dish this out if you want to get changed.”

“Does this mean I can stay over tonight?” he asked.

“What do you think, Michael?”

He grinned, “I’ll be back in a few moments.”

Jackie smiled as she watched him go into the bedroom, she had been glad when Michael had suggested a takeaway. After their day, Jackie didn’t really have the energy to cook a meal, and she doubted Michael would have felt up to it either. It didn’t take long for her to put the food onto the plates and Michael appeared a moment later.

They didn’t talk about their day until after their meal was finished. Snuggled together on the couch, concern etched Jackie’s features as she regarded Michael. He might look relaxed, but Jackie could see the signs that he was replaying today’s events over and over in his mind.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly.

Michael smiled ruefully, “About the fact that people see me as a puritan, or my little outburst in court?”

“Any of it…or all of it if you want,” she said before she took his hand and lightly kissed it.

Michael sighed, “Today was a disaster, wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t one of your better days, no,” she admitted. “But all is not lost, we still have tomorrow. And no matter what happens, we’ll face it together, just like we’ve always done.”

And from the look in her eyes, Michael could read the one thing she’d left unsaid.

_Like we always will do._

Michael stared at her in amazement, “How do you always know how to make me feel better?”

Jackie smiled, “It’s a gift.”

Michael would never be sure what he had done to deserve this woman, but he was very glad that he had her. While they may have not been together long, Michael already knew that he never wanted to let her go.

He closed the distance between them and kissed her. “Thanks,” he said after they broke apart.

They sat in silence for a few moments, until Jackie broke it by laughing quietly.

“What?” he asked, his lips tugging upwards.

“I’m just imagining the look on the Biscuit’s face had he found out about our relationship in court today,” she said.

Michael chuckled, “That would have been a picture. Though I doubt we’d have seen the funny side had it happened.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. “You know, there’s one good thing that’s come out of this,” she said after they both sobered.

“What’s that?”

“Watching you tell everyone that you trust me,” she said with a small smile on her face.

Michael’s brow furrowed, “Did you doubt that?”

“No, but it’s nice to hear it all the same,” she answered, still smiling. “Although…if either of us is going to be worried it should be me,” she teased.

“Why?” he looked bemused.

“Well, it looks like Tessa Inness has her eye on you,” she smirked.

Michael laughed, “What?”

“She told me she thought it was a shame that you were seeing someone. I just told her I didn’t like to discuss my boss’ personal life.”

“You do know I only have eyes for you, don’t you?” he said seriously.

“Good,” she said smiling at him.

“But if you need convincing, I’d be happy to show you later,” he said suggestively.

“I don’t think so, Michael,” she shook her head. A moment later she whispered in his ear, “I think you should show me now.”

Michael smirked, “Well, if you insist.” He kissed her deeply, both forgetting about their disastrous day.

Much later, as they lay in bed, Jackie reflected that Michael was _very_ convincing in his affections. She sighed in contentment, curled up next to Michael would always be the perfect end to her day.

**The End**


End file.
